Healthy Veggie Burger Recipes and Tips

T
he veggie burger of yesteryear has been revamped, and the meager choices, uniform tastes, and unappetizing textures are now things of the past. With so many meat and dairy substitutions now readily available, it's no surprise that the veggie burger is challenging beef's place on the bun.

Most people choose to eat veggie burgers for reasons related to health, and Joni Marie Newman, author of The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet, a collection of "globally inspired vegan creations," is no different. For six months, Newman ate only raw foods. "I did it for my health and to lose weight," she says. Maintaining a raw diet was a difficult task that caused Newman to miss cooking, so she is now enjoying the advantages of a vegan diet—including, of course, veggie burgers.

The health benefits associated with the main ingredients of many veggie burgers—beans, nuts, soy, and grains, all very good sources for protein, essential minerals, and vitamins—make veggie burgers an enticing option for even avowed omnivores. And if you're looking to reduce saturated fats, as well as increase fiber and complex carbohydrates, homemade veggie burgers are a good—and delicious—way to do so.

By design, vegan burgers are already suitable for vegetarians, so Newman's vegan tips can be applied to most vegetarian burgers. If you aren't vegan, however, Newman's tips can still bolster the flavor and nutritional value of any burger. She encourages people to use her book as a guide in the hopes that they "will look at ingredients differently and try new things."

recipe tips:

The Sticking Point

According to Newman, starchier grains will absorb more moisture and therefore help hold the burger together. She suggests using brown rice or oats. Quinoa may be trickier to work with but may be worth trying due to its high nutritional value.

Stay Dry

Fresh herbs undoubtedly taste good, but to help your veggie burgers maintain their shape, reach for dried herbs. Though she's generally a huge advocate for fresh herbs, Newman admits that "dried actually do work better," especially in the Scarborough Fair Tofu Burger.

Swap the Soy

Newman suggests substituting soy sauce with tamari or Bragg's Liquid Amino. Both are lower in sodium than traditional soy sauce, and while tamari may sometimes have wheat, Bragg's is gluten-free.

Caught in a Bind

Eggs are a traditional binding ingredient and for the average vegetarian their use doesn't pose a problem. To render a recipe such as Portobello Black Bean Burgers appropriate for a vegan, Newman advises using "1/4 cup of silken tofu, blended, or a commercial egg replacer powder such as Ener-g or Bob's Red Mill mixed with warm water." When mayonnaise is an ingredient, "any vegan version, including homemade Vegan Mayonnaise, will work."

Meatless Moisture

Compared with a beef, chicken, or even seafood burger, veggie burgers lack a high fat content. To prevent them from drying out on the grill, Newman likes to put the veggie burgers in a foil tent, essentially steaming them.

Ditch the Dairy

When it comes to nondairy options, there are many. Newman prefers to use coconut, soy, and almond milk when replacing traditional milk in a recipe. Hemp milk works well, too, but "it has a very strong taste and can be pricey." Instead of cheese, she recommends Daiya's cheese-style shreds, "which have a similar mouth feel to that of regular cheese." Newman does admit, though, that "finding a vegan cheese option that tastes really good can be difficult. Instead, look for products that add a unique flavor rather than ones that try to mimic. Go with Wayfare's spreads."